My parents were here! I know I'm really behind in my posts, so I'm going to make this a picture post.
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| One of the first days in Sevilla, there was the union strike. A lot of things weren't open or running since they were protesting the new Spanish government's proposed budget cuts and reforms. |
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| "Sunny" Sevilla. Sevilla has on average more than 300 days of sun a year. But it was cloudy and/or rainy the entire time we were there. We enjoyed the beautiful city nevertheless. |
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| Since we were in Sevilla right before Semana Santa (Holy Week), we could go into the different churches to see up close the floats that are carried along the streets in the Semana Santa processions. Sevilla has probably the grandest Semana Santa and people come to Sevilla from all over Spain. So seeing the beautiful floats here was especially extraordinary. |
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We also took a tour of the bull fighting ring of Sevilla. Bull fighting is a tradition still holding strong in Sevilla.
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| We went to Plaza de España during one of the sunlight moments. Plaza de España was built for a world conference. It has architectural elements from all over Spain and Spanish history. |
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| After Sevilla, we went to Ronda. The old part of the city is located on one side of this huge canyon because it had great defensive properties (and great views to go with it). This bridge unites the now larger city and is the symbol of Ronda. |
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| At the bottom of the canyon is this beautiful river. During the days of the defensive city, they had a problem of running out of water when under siege. So they built a tunnel (with 365 steps) down to the canyon and slaves/servants would pass the water up to the city. |
After Ronda, my parents went to Gibraltar while I went back to Torre del Mar. After Gibraltar, my parents came over to Torre del Mar for a few days.
On Wednesday, we headed into Málaga to watch some Semana Santa processions.
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| We also went to the Balcón de Europa in Nerja and then the caves of Nerja. In the cave was this huge column which is, according to the Guinnes Book of World Records, the largest cave column in the world. |
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| Of course a trip with my parents would not be complete without Geocaching. One of the caches near the caves led us to this gorgeous place. |
I loved having my parents here. It was the perfect touch of home to ward off the homesickness and get me through the rest of my time here. I hope my parents enjoyed it as much as I did. But let's be honest. They were in Spain. Of course they did. Who wouldn't?
Hey, you
ReplyDeleteIt looks like you and your parents had an amazing time! You look great in the picture by the Plaza! Every time you post pictures of the ruins scattered around it takes my breath away, I can only imagine what the city would have looked like hundreds of years ago with people building and living in something that has lasted so long. It really makes me think of the legacy that people can leave behind to show generations far into the future. And of course the photos you took of the seascape where you were geocaching were gorgeous.
I also liked the video you posted of the Semana Santa floats; especially how large a role that Christianity plays in the public scene. The amount of time that must go into making those floats so extravagant and how many people come to celebrate, I've never seen anything like it!
I saw that they didn't offer you the job at Archmere, I'm sorry to hear that... Don't let it get you discouraged though, I know that you'll find a place that will be the right fit for you. You're an amazing person, and I know that wherever you wind up teaching you'll do everything you can to become an inspiration to your students :)
I can't wait to see you when you get back, you'll have so many stories to tell!
-John